Caldwell Sentenced

Posted on 15th April 2014 at 15:53

Taking his community involvement and contributions into account, U. S. District Judge Benjamin Settle went below the recommendations from Federal prosecutors, and sentenced 60 year-old Ray Caldwell of Longview to 27 months in prison for his conviction on Clean Water Act violations. In addition to the prison time, Settle is also ordering three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Along with the jail time and fine, a hearing is planned on May 22nd, where Settle will determine the restitution that Caldwell will be required to pay to the Three Rivers Wastewater Treatment Plant, the City of Longview and Cowlitz County. Settle also says that Caldwell’s company, All-Out Sewer and Drain Service, shares in the fine, and will be on probation for three years. At yesterday’s hearing, Settle admonished Caldwell, saying that the business owner saw an opportunity to deprive public entities of money that they were entitled to receive; Settle said “It’s very important to communicate to the community that if you engage in fraud on local government, you will realize consequences.” In yesterday’s hearing, Caldwell is quoted as saying that he felt bad for what he did, and that he didn’t think that he was hurting the environment. He did apologize to the community. Caldwell was arrested in August of 2012, after nearly two years of monitoring and surveillance by local and federal officials. In December of last year, Caldwell was found guilty on 33 separate counts, including 25 violations of the Clear Water Act. Prosecutors had been recommending 42 months in prison and a fine of $650,000, but Judge Settle acknowledged the community support that Caldwell had received since his conviction.